Artificial tanned fabric with finish coating and process of making same.



E. WEINHEIM.

ARTIFICIAL TANNED FABRIC WITH FINI$H OOATING AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED 00'1.3, 190B.

Patented June 29, 1909.

l i'miz We in kim, 331 m te M1243 "1E NJRRAS pas/v r0, WASHINGTON. n. I:

tJ lf t it it lid) )1) it ii it filo?) it Atalanta JL Uri: re n ARTIFICIAL TANNED FABRIC \VITH FINISH COATING AND PROCESS OF BIAIENG- 61115151.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Fatonted Juno 52:9, 1909.

Application filed October 3, 1908. Serial No. 155,951.

To (1 71720777 it 'H'ICtj/ concern:

Be it known tl atI, l'lnn, Wnin'i inn. a citizen ol' the United States, and a resident ol' the borough of ldai'ihattan, county, city and State oi New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in iirtiticial Tanned Fabrics with. Finish-(oz ting and Processes of illaking ttiame, set t'ort'h in the l'oll wing specificati n.

This invention relates to an artiticial tabric with a finish coating and to the process of making same.

It relates more mrticularly to a suitably colored linish coating and the process of forming the same on a particular kind of artilicial lea her which in itsell is specifically claimed as well as the process for making it in applicants (ltlptlltllllg application Serial No. 455,953, tiled October 3, 1908 for artitirial tanned fabric and process ot making the same.

An object of the nycntion is to insure the tirm adherence of a suitable patina or colored coating to a foundation l'abric particularly the artitic'al tanned t'abric referred to. i

A further object is to provide such a coating, which is water-anon: not only on its finished surface but which. is water-proot interiorly where it adhrrrs to and contacts with the tibers ol' the body l abric.

'lhe inixntion applies both it ol' applying such coating, to the ingredients in combination in the coating, and to the l'abric so coated as an article otmanul'acture.

An object ot' the invention is to provide for the appli *ation ol a suitable patina, which is more or less soluble betore application, to the body fabric but which. is rendered insoluble after its application to such body labric.

More in general an object of the invention is to improve surface tinished fabrics to be used as substitutes tor tanned and linished leather in the arts; to provir e such a product that the finish coating will not peel oll' under the action of moisture; to provid such a finished fabric which will have the structural qualities, as durability, suppleness and toughness of tanned animal leather and will also have the surface :nniearance ol' the outside surface of finished tanned leather.

To the above end the use ol l'ree dichromate of potassium in and about the fibers of a suitable body fabric is employed preparatory to applying any suitablo patina which may itthe process t selt' be soluble but which will be rendered insoluble by the dichronuite ot' potassium. it is to be understood also that the use ot a patina sucl as described herein not necessarily upon a t'abric impregnat zwl. with dichroma-t e ot' potassium is usct'ul and will produce a uset'ul product.

'lhe above and l'urtfher objects ol this invention will be set t'orth in the accompanying claims and will be apparent t'rom the tollowing description \ihich may be r ad in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms i art ot this application and in which the single tigure is an enlarged exaggerated cross section through the finished product.

ln practicing this process it is desirable to provide tirst a mat or batting ol' 'lrbrous substance, preterably cotton ticer. lt has been, found that long libers increase the s rcngth ot' the finished product. it has also been found that a substantially equal mixture of long and short fibers resnltsin a :tinished product comparing in strcngth, durability, etc., Very l'ayorably with one made up l'rom a lrodV ol' entirely long libers. lit is ct course; to be understood that tho longer libers are more expensive than the shorter. 5 This 1' at ure ol' mixing long with short libers i has the commercial adyantage ot" rheapness without sacriticing strength and durz bilit'y. Preferably, therel'ore, \arious proportion-1, according to the desired strength ot the u timate product, of long and short cotton fibers are matted into a batting ol' unitorm thickness which may yary according to the desired thickness ot the .linished product, so that its weight per squarc yard may yary satisfactorily from 125 grams to 800 grams or more or less as desired. The batting may be Formed into suitable strips or rolled strips as convenient. The next step is to provido an aqueous solution of dichromate ol potassium, say a threc to a ten per cent. solution a wcording to thc amount oi deposit required, and as will hereinalter be apparent. This dichromate of potassium solution is sprinkled unit'ormly upon the batting described so as not to destroy its character as a strip ol batiting. hiring this process a suitable supporting surface for thc batting is desirable. The batting then should be dried after a complete impregnation. of all its fibers has been accomplishml by the sprinkling. (are should bc taken that the batting resume its llt) original flufliness or looseness of texture sin.- sequent to drying after being impregnated with the solution of eliehromate. Care should also be taken that the impregnation With dichroniate is uniform and complete insuring a uniform crystalline deposit of dicliromate upon each and all of the fibers of the matting after suitable drying has taken place. The batting so impregnated with dichroinate of p and rendered dry and llully, is termed a l'ratting or body of dichromatized vegetable fibers. For the next step the batting may be out into sheets or strips of suitable size, it being borne in mind that the size id shape of a linished sheet of fabrie will am le that of the initial sheet of batting. metallic plates of a slightly lareei ban the sheets of liatting, thus provided f r hed These metallic elites euitabl metal, and

C e suiiieiently of flexibility. lying conxp-osition for of battingis then coinor the same should have been previously prepared and ready at hand at this step ofthe process.

The following" ine; 'edients are m'xed and suet and o 5. Metallic salts, such as hyd "d o "ac. POtPJSSiUITi, lead and Suitable saponifying agents, such sodium anr potassium allralies.

It is Well to keep the viscous animal parts in water previously to use, so to aid their ready fusibility and manipulation. A suit able vessel with means for heating the same is provided and may be a steam heated caldron. The first five sets of ingredients, it being understood that one or more of the specified ingredients in each set can be used, are kneaded and mixed together under the influence of heat, until a uniform mixture is accomplished. The sapenifving agent should then be added and mat g continued until satisfactory saponilieation of the mixture has been ztCCOlllpllSllCd. The preferable tempe atur during saponi'lication is from eighty to ninety degrees Fahrenheit.

tion above described or Ft il ll. the coinponi with any composition haying suitable quahmaintained at an even temperature of ties from sixty to eighty degrees Fahrenheit, the same is suitably applied to the metallic surface fibers of the fabric.

resp nd someia'hat to the Viscosity of the coating composition. 7

A tier of alternat" d plates and. sheets of batting may up to a suitable total thickness eonyenient for manipucoat a o be built lation. The bottom of the tier may be a metal plate coated only on its top surface 7 ant the top of the tier a me "i-l plate coated only on its bottom surface. he tier may be placed in a suitable press maintaining the plates and sheets horizontal between parallel pressure ap ilying devices. subjected to gradual pressure under the influence of heat. it is desired that the entire tier be leated to approximately llalu renheit throughout or even more.

of batting. employed. as a s although it is to be hat any agent having a siinila ii ployed. At this stagei ll J t n 1" hm of batting ha o oesi i t 1 i L. piesse i to nuch ie thickness than i initially. he tier of plates and sheets should then he removed from the heated toss and be su ijected to pr's ure in a cool- 1 Then they are alren out; from he metal a separated l lein exposed l y rig ate plates and zriod, each sheet 3 individua ly to t ie influence of a mosphere. it is found that this s llJStQllQ/Mt drying is useful to expel moisture which no longer combined in the saturating lea lying; composition, but appears to Le in a free s ate, After being; suitably dried the resultant sheets form a body fabric to be atmosphere.

10 sheets provided 'with a finish coating of pati 1a of i any desired color.

if the amount of diehromate of potassium, with which the batting heretofore was impregnated, was merely sul'licient to provide for the water-proofing of the saturating leatherf ing composition, it will be desirable to incorporate or intimately relate free i i chromate of potassium with the surface of the surface of the body fabric to be yided ii'ith the unish coating. This may be accomplished in any suital manner as by sprinkling with a solution of dichromate of potassium and drying out the Water to cause a deposit of the dichromate 'n and. about the it may,

eentage n the lam ever, i

of the dichromate of potassium i s fiber be that necessary to proof the saturating leather composition T 1 J This nay oe amomphshed by desiraoie to inc easerthe pe The tier is then hotrl increasing the strength of the solution of diehromate of potassium sprinkled on to and into the batting or may preferably be ace inplished by sprinkling the batting a second time after it has once been well saturated with the solution of dichroinate of potassium and once dried out, and tl en drying it a second time. This second sprinl zhng' will increase the proportion of deposited dichro mate of potassium re ativelv (.0 the fiber batt surface fibers of coating purposes when at a temperature I from or Q to Sil Fahrenheit. a1 follows: i. Suitable preferably mineral.

coloring matters, 2. Viscous animal parts, such as boneg uc, 'itin and other glutinous matter of animal o. 1 l}. Veg

such as paln oil, olive oil and others. llydro-carbons, such paraffin, vaselino, bitr on or others. ininral fats, such as tallow, snot and ethos. 6. Metallic salts, such as hydrated oxid of Zinc, potassiun'i, lead and alunrinu nv 7. Sn itablo saponil'ying: a ents, such as sodium and potassium :tllirtlies.

The above is merely an illustrative coniposition for a suitable patina and it is to be understood that certain ingredients may be substituted by equivalents or omitted according to the product desired. The patina may be formed conveniently in a suitable vessel suitably heated.

The surface of the body fabric to be finished is painted over one or more times in accordance with the homogeneousness of the coloring desired. The painting may be accomplished by the aid of suitable brushes which travel backward and forward in the direction of movement of the sheet to be coated which may be caused to travel by means of suitable rollers. in process the sheet should be maintained suitably heated to aid in rendering the coating insolublc by means of the dichromate of potassium. It is desirable that the patina be thoroughly rubbed into the surface of the sheet so that it adheres to and eanbcds itself about and over the surface fibers. In the drawing 1 indicates the body fabric, while '2 tebl oi indicates the patina shown in intimate rclation with the surface fibers of the body fabric The parts are During the painti l l l along the surface 3 of the body fabric 1. l tshould. be noted that the composition of he patina for the finish coating is substan tial'y the same as that oi the lcatherfyingr' composition forsatl 'ating' the sheets of batting except for the admixture of suitable coloring materials. The coating of patina therefore not only adheres and embeds itself about the surface fibers of the. body fabric but incorporates itself with and forms a dense surface coating: for the body of and of substantially the same character as the body fabric itself. considerable degree of pressure is applied to the patina coated surface of the body fabric when the coating is painted on. -rfter the desired lmznorreneousness of color for the coating has been obtained the coated sheet maybe brought into the drying room as before and be. maintained at a ntoderalc temperature, say from to l ahrcnheit, where it thoroughly dried. -.fi1(l thus being dried the colored side of the sheet may be varnished in acmudancc with it Iv t the degree of luster desired with a varnish composed of a mixture of casein substance, v ;2;etablo oils, a fatty acid such as olcin and the entire mixture saponilied by suitable alkali. This coat of varnish is indicated by l. The sheet should then be dried again, after which it may be calendercd between meta lic plates such as smooth zinc plates covcred with homogeneous felt over which is rolled a cylinder of such a weiggnt as to apply the de 'rce of pressure desired for calendering. 'ihe cylinder may f rst be rolled over the felt and then over the metal plate with the coated surface of the sheet beneath the plate. The sheet so calendered may thereafter he embossed with any suitable design oven in very high relief. The embossing may be accoinplished by any suitable process as by the use of a stereotype or gralvanoplastic plate provided with the desired design and by means of the calendering ('wylindcr heretofore mentioned or by means of a suitable heated press. The product after calen dering is satisfactory for use. a substitute for finished tanned leather in the arts and is satisfactorily water-proof throughout. It has been found that a denser surface may be formed over the surface of the patina by applying a solution of formaldehyde and alcohol. After this is done the product should again be dried to expel the water and alcohol.

It is to be understood that the patina described may be applied to the artificial tanned leather fabric without providing the surplus deposit of dichroinate of potassium on the surface of the fabric to be coated and then relying merely upon the similarity of the composition of the patina to that of the saturating composition in the body fabric to insure satisfactory adherence for the colored finish coat, or patina. in this case it is more desirable to apply the filial coat-of formaldehyde described above although that may be omitted.

Although this invention is set forth in dotail it is understood that the various steps may be varied without departing from the invention.

l r hat is claimed and What is desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. The process of making artificial tanned fabric With a finish coating comprising the production of a soft fluil'y batting of vegetable fibers impregnated throughout with dicl'iromate of potassium; forcing a more or less soluble leatherfying composition into said batting under continued pressure and heat to effect the insolubility of said leatherfying composition in and about the fibers of the batting; drying the so saturated batting; coating a suiiace of the dried fabric with a patina comprising said leatherfying composition suitably colored; intimately relating said patina about the surface fibers of said fabric; and compacting the said coating of patina and rendering it insoluble by means of heat and surface pressure.

2. The process of making artificial tanned fabric with a finish coating comprising, producing a body fabric composed of vegetable fibers and a saturation of a leatherfying composition rendered insoluble; incorporating dichromate of potassium in solution in and about the surface fibers on the surface to be coated; drying out the water from said dichromate solution to recipitate dichromate of potassium in and about the said surface fibers; applying a patina of similar composition to sait leatherfying composition as coating to said surface; and compacting the name to this specification in the presence of same and effecting the insolubility of the same by heat and pressure.

3. The process of making artificial tanned fabric with a finish coating comprising producing a body fabric of vegetable fibers saturated With a leatherfying composition rendered insoluble by an excess of dichromate of bilized in Stilt in and about the said fibers and forming a close union with the said l'ibers throughout the said body; and a dense surface coating of colored pa ina having a similar composition to that (if the said leathery composition and directly incorporated there with and with the surface fibers of the said fabric.

As an article of manufacture the prodnot of the process described a sheet of artificial tanned leather having a finish coating and comprising a body of matted and diehromatized vegetable fibers; a body filling of leathery composition of Viscous and leath cry animal parts oils animal fats, metallic iuvli described, insolubilized in situ ill. a: about the said fibers and forming a close union with the said fibers throughout the said body; and a dense surface coating of patina having similar composition to that of the said leathery composition and directly incorporated therewith and With the surface fibers of the said fabric.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my two subscribing Witnesses.

EMIL lVElNHElM.

ll itnesses LEONARD DAY, EnsoN B. SAMMIS. 

